Aligned HR strategies will impact on business performance By Prof. Dave Ulrich

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus has the challenge of pushing a rock up a hill. He begins with great energy as he sees where he is headed, but as he is half-way up the hill, he finds that the...

Constructive ways of dealing with poor performance. By Dr Stanley Arumugam

The reality of the workplace is that the behavioural mechanisms outlined last month are not restricted to the staff member. In any organisation, the boss always has a boss and the anxiety of performance and fear of failure knows...

According to a recent report, police are abusing sick leave, with staff at one police station alone taking an average of 77.2 days sick each. Abuse of sick leave has apparently been identified as the ‘number one risk’ to the police, and a ‘health risk manager’ had now been appointed...

Following media reports of multiple departures from ABSA’s executive team, HR Future asked ABSA’s Chief Human Resources Executive for the inside story. By Fergus Marupen

Attracting and retaining the right talent, especially at a senior executive level is paramount to enable the delivery of strategic business objectives. Strong leadership is...

By Wendy Axelrod and Jeannie Coyle

Highly talented employees are the key to every organisation’s success. Yet despite their best intentions, for most managers growing talent while successfully doing their “day jobs” and staying on top of results seems like a pipe dream. But it doesn’t have to be.

Most...

HR strategy “to do” List
When developing your HR strategy, make sure the following items are on your “to do” list:

Align your HR needs with the company’s business needs.

Examine the organisational structure to determine if it is still relevant.

Assess the organisational culture to establish...

Mike Tims explains to Alan Hosking the challenges and nuances of leading people across different geographies.

What is the key to leading people in different countries?
No matter what country you’re in, organisations always require leaders with certain core competencies, but the way in which the leaders deliver on those...

These practical tips for engaging with people in China will help you build better relationships. By Jane Steinacker-Keys

Where most business deals in the world are based on transactions, in China it’s all about guanxi and mianzi. In essence it’s about relationships and reputation. To successfully work with the Chinese...

If handled correctly, worker involvement can lead to better performance. By Anna Paola Usai

Employers fear that the participation of workers in organisational choices could reduce competitiveness. But could this be a path to increase firm performance?

The participation of workers in organisational decisions has always raised concern amongst employers...

Managers who learn to manage what can’t be seen will be in high demand. By David Creelman

HR professionals are predisposed towards an analytical approach to management. We tease apart the pieces of any issue to achieve precision and clarity. However, at times, we should set aside our focus on...

Success is about living each day to its fullest. By Bryan Hattingh

2012 has been heralded as a year that will deliver spiritual transformation, unprecedented change and challenge, and, according to the Doomsday protagonists, an apocalypse. People have approached and entered 2012 with a mix of fear, trepidation, excitement and/or...

A “common sense” practical approach to performance management will work wonders for your company. By Dr Mark Bussin

I have been talking at conferences and lecturing to thousands of people for several years. Whenever the opportunity presents itself I can’t resist asking the audience just one question.

“Who here can...

HR and HRD practitioners are stakeholders in post school education and training so must give their input on this document. By Marietta van Rooyen

What is a Green Paper? Wikipedia defines a green paper as “a tentative government report of a proposal without any commitment to action; the first step...

Choose applications that integrate seamlessly with your other HR software. By Rob Bothma

Today all HR and payroll departments are affected by the pace of growth in technology, which has meant that HR systems have started evolving at a more rapid pace. Not only has there been continual pressure from...

Develop and implement a clear ethics strategy to prevent ethical issues becoming a problem. By Cynthia Schoeman

The goal of sound ethics and an ethical culture is shared by most organisations. However, building and maintaining an ethical organisation is often made more difficult because the management of ethics is not...

Intuitive self service sets you free from labour intensive and time consuming manual processes. By Peter Alkema

This second last instalment in our series on the five pillars of HR service delivery covers the technology that delivers self service transactions and information to its users. Without self service systems in...

• A visiting lecturer coming to South Africa t present a lecture(s) or a conference;
• A renowned surgeon...

Execution of Labour Court judgments pending an appeal to the Labour Appeal Court. By Dr Brian van Zyl

The labour court, in MatheZindile v The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs (2010) 21 SALLR 84 (LC), recently had an opportunity to consider the following important issue:

In a scenario...

With today’s changing workforce, companies need to rethink the way they manage people. By Tracey Czakan

In the current difficult economic climate, many companies are tempted to delay talent management interventions, thinking that employees will commit one hundred percent in gratitude for just having a job. On the contrary, many...

South Africans are spoilt when it comes to the number of public holidays they have. By Yusuf Mahomedy

Let me get off the ground with a sensitive topic: public holidays. As we prepare for the long weekends ahead, it is worthwhile to consider the impact of public holidays on your...

Beat fatigue by living your life with rhythm. By Alan Hosking

Just about everything around us – including the universe that has been around for hundreds of billions of years – operates according to a rhythm. The rhythms may be different for different things, but they’re nevertheless there. At a...